Mom Confession: I Use a Baby Monitor for My 7-Year-Old Son

Ok, I admit it. My son is almost 7 years old, and at this point, I still haven't taken the baby monitor out of his room. I use it every night, and quite honestly, I don't plan on stopping anytime soon -- and I'm not sure when I'll turn it off and quit using it for good.

And I'm fully aware of how ridiculous the idea of using a baby monitor for a first grader sounds. Anytime I tell anyone that I still use a baby monitor, I'm usually met with one of three responses.

1.) A blank stare, 2.) laughter, followed by, "Oh, wait -- you're not joking?", or 3.) a confused look and words of advice on how I really need to let go, or something to that effect.

I can't (and when I say can't, I really mean CAN'T) sleep without some sort of white noise. And neither can my son, because I got him hooked on it when he was a baby and now his sleeping requirements are just as neurotic as mine. (Poor kid.)

That being said, in his room, and our master bedroom, we use air purifiers, which make a decent amount of noise -- to the point that you really can't hear what's going on in the rest of the house when they're in use.

Couple the fact that I can't hear anything besides my air purifier in the middle of the night with the fact that my son isn't one to get out of his bed and come running down the hall if he needs me -- and I've got myself a recipe for using a baby monitor, not because I'm an overbearing control freak, but because I don't have any other choice.

Using the monitor is the only way to ensure that I'll hear my son during the night if something goes wrong, and for that reason, I'll keep using it as long as it's necessary.

But still -- the idea of someone using a baby monitor for a school-aged child does sound pretty nutty, but surely I can't be the only parent out there who still uses one, right? (Anyone? Bueller?)

Do you still use a baby monitor? Or is there some other baby item you refuse to give up?